Tirukkottiyur - Soumyanarayana Perumal Temple

Venerated as a famous centre of oriental learning and the august seat of celebrated Vedic scholars, who taught the world-renowned pravaktas, such as Srimadramanuja this temple town has many legends embodying awe-some episodes and uncommon occurrences. It was here the budding Visishtadwaita pravakta Ramanuja turned an illustrious guru to his own guru by preaching to the public the Ashtaakshari - OM NAMO NARAYANAYA -the most-potent chant that lifts mankind sunk in the misery of their own making, much against the dictates of his Guru Tirukkotiyur Nambi. It is here the Mulavirat is seen in four postures, like standing, reclining, sitting and preaching. And they are exceedingly grand and fills the souls of the viewers with heavenly bliss.

The temple is quite spacious and grandly constructed with everything in awe-inspiring dimensions. The exemplary patronage it enjoyed and liberal endowments made from time to time are recorded elaborately. It contains many mini-shrines installed with adorable deities and pravaktas, like the masterly sculptured Narasimha images, Ksheerabdhi Nathar, Tirukkotiyur Nambi etc. There is a separate mandir for Mother Mahalakshmi popularly known as Tirumamagal Natchiyar. The temple proudly displays the image of Ramanuja atop the tower, visible for miles afar, for, it is here standing on the temple tower preached for the fast time to he all and sundry the Ashtaakshari mantra, though his Guru specifically instructed him not to divulge it to any for the fear of sin and yamakrkaprapti. His matchless manavatha opened the eyes of his own guru and hailed him, the Guru of gurus. Many Alwars visited and sang in praise of this Omnipotent Lord, going by the name of Soumyanarayana perumal. Agamic puja is offered every day and the periodical festivals dear to the Lord are celebrated with much fanfare, when lakhs of people congregate and participate with unprecedented devotional zeal. It occupies a pre-eminent place among the one hundred and eight Divya Tirupathis, which every devout Vaishnava yearns to see to make his fife charitartha.

It lies at about 20 km off Karaikuddi, a premier commercial centre of Tamilnadu, accessible by four wheelers.

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